Thursday, July 15, 2010

A couple times a year, the Bookbinding Etsy Street Team hosts a book swap. Those participating send a handmade book to another team and receive on in return from a different person. It's a lot of fun, and I've gotten some pretty amazing books.

The most recent swap, I received a book from Laura of Prairie Peasant. She is a bookbinder from Winnipeg in Canada, who shares a love of maps with me. This book is a softcover book made with batik fabric that her husband had brought back from a trip to Burkina Faso in Africa. The paper inside is handmade from a company called Botanical Paperworks in Winnipeg. I love it! It combines so many things I love: textiles, books and travel. I especially love African textiles, and this is a gorgeous piece.The book I sent in was a map journal that was made with a map with North America on the front and South America on the back.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Since the wedding has come and gone, I can finally blog about this guest book. Every summer I get together with 3 friends from college for an annual reunion. This year it was spent in Williamsport, PA at a wedding in a meadow at the bride and groom's country home.

My good friend, the bride, is an avid gardener as well as a lover and appreciator of handmade gifts, so I enthusiastically asked if I could make the guest book for the occasion.The book was made using some handmade paper that I've had for awhile, but never had the right use for. It seemed like the perfect paper for a garden wedding. I chose a light green silk bookcloth for the spine to match their invitations. The pages were unlined, which I prefer. I think it's a little more fun and encourages people to do more than just sign their name.

I'm quite happy with how it turned out, and loved being a little part of this special day.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Today I listed this journal with a Wyoming map taken from a vintage atlas in my Etsy shop. This one highlights Yellowstone National Park and Grand Tetons. I recently watched the Ken Burns documentary, National Parks: America's Best Idea and loved it. It inspired a great urge to go west. (I also learned that Yellowstone is the size of Rhode Island and Delaware together!)

There was a great scene where a dad describes a trip to Yellowstone with his wife and two children. He had encouraged everyone in his family to keep a journal while on that trip, and they showed the entry from his young son recounting a particularly inspiring walk he took with his dad in the park. The man was welling up describing both the scene and the journal entry, and so was I.

I'm a firm believer that a journal is a place where you remember a journey in a way that you just can't capture in a photo or video. You can capture an emotion and set it down on paper in an exact time and place, when the feeling is alive and fresh. Reading those words bring a rush of memory in a way that is so unique. I particularly loved the idea of a whole family, each having a journal on the same trip. How will these experiences be different, or the same for this journey? How will this young man feel when he's older, reading through that journal, or making the same journey with his own family?

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Saturday was the first ever Indie Art by the Sea in Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI. I'll confess, I've lived here 11 1/2 years and it was my first visit to Fort Adams! It's really a beautiful view, right on the water with lots of sailboats to watch and a view of the Newport Bridge.There were a lot of great vendors at the show, and it was good to see familiar faces, and meet people whose work I'm familiar with but who I've never met. The show itself was a lot slower than most of us expected, but I still count it as a success. Oddly, when I got home, I realized that of all my sales, only one of my Newport journals had sold. You never know!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

This Saturday I'll be selling my handmade goodness at the first ever Indie Art by the Sea at Fort Adams Park in Newport. It will be open for shopping from 11am - 5pm. The list of vendors is impressive, to view everyone who will be there, click here. There will also be live music and food. The forecast looks like it's going to be perfect for a day in Newport, so come on down. Click here for directions. See you Saturday!

About Me

I’m a designer living in Providence, RI who’s trying to experience more & consume less. I love where I live, and love traveling the world.
Photos either taken by me or by David Hansen of www.davidjohnhansen.com.